Meeting development challenges in coastal Karnataka

Oct 2007

India

The migration of vast numbers of people from
the countryside to the city is putting massive
pressure on the urban infrastructures.
This is particularly the case in the sub-region
of Bangalore, in India, where improvement of
the water and sanitation network is vital for
the health and welfare of the local population
and balanced development of the region.
Serpentine streets and monsoon climatic
conditions were tough local challenges
that required specific solutions for the pipe
network. The answer was to install PE100
pipe systems to provide inhabitants of Mangalore
and Puttur with access to fresh water
and improved sanitation.

For the first time in human history, more people
are living in cities than in the rural areas. This
rural-to-urban migration is putting major pressures
on the buried infrastructure; nowhere
more so than India where 20 million people live
today in cities with no access to fresh water and
sanitation. The improvement and extension of
water and sanitation networks within the cities
are therefore crucial for the health and welfare of
these growing communities.

The Indian State of Karnataka, and its capital
city, Bangalore, are facing strong rural to urban
migration pressures, and there is an urgent
need to improve water infrastructure and services.
Set up in 1993, the Karnataka Urban Infrastructure
Development and Finance Corporation
(KUIDFC) is the State agency dedicated to planning,
financing and developing urban infrastructure.
The Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development
Project (KUIDP) is one of its integrated
projects designed to provide and upgrade
essential urban infrastructure and services.

Aimed at reducing the rural-to-urban migration
pressure on Bangalore, the project encompasses
a full range of welfare and development activities,
from environmental sanitation to institutional
strengthening.

Creating a reliable water network

One of the main concerns in the sub-region of
Bangalore is that water supply to the area is
often intermittent, and the water quality is poor.
Sewerage and drainage systems in the region
are also inadequate.

The KUIDP chose to address this issue by building
a reliable water distribution network in the
coastal cities of Mangalore and Puttur in Karnataka.
In the first phase, 540 km of water pipelines
will be installed in South Mangalore and
109 km in Puttur.

In order to build a durable water distribution
network requiring little or no maintenance,
KUIDFC needed to select a high quality pipe
material. Pipeline flexibility was also important
to accommodate the installation of long pipe
lengths in narrow serpentine roads. Also, due
to the presence of old pipes in the trenches at
various depths, the new pipes often need to
be laid deeper below the ground. To meet the
projected growth of the region, the pipes should
also accommodate greater water demand and
increased surge pressures.

The natural solution was polyethylene, and
to meet the quality requirements, KUIDFC
selected BorSafe™ PE100 from Borouge,
which is specially suited for pressure pipe
system applications such as drinking water
supply and pressure sewerage.

Despite the monsoon season and the challenging
road conditions, the project proceeded
smoothly with an average of 1 km of pipes
installed per day. The locals living near the site
have been very cooperative as they know that
these high quality, durable pipes will provide
them with fresh, reliable water supply.

Supporting future growth

To meet increased demand, the PE pipe solution
provided a 20% increase in hydraulic capacity.
The material’s flexibility and corrosion resistant
properties also facilitated easy installation in the
wet, narrow and winding terrain. The PE100
pipes are also able to withstand the cuts and
gouges that commonly occur during handling
and installation.
With a longer lifespan, the new network will
bring Karnataka State inhabitants a reliable
water supply and an improved quality of life well
into the future.